Transcript

1.
ELEVENTH EDITION SEPTEMBER 2007
Come on, Eileen!
by T Orr & Katie Hemenway
eri Our voices were hoarse from yelling “Come on, Eileen --
You can do it!” It was all about her now...the spectators,
This is not about the popular melody by Dexy’s volunteers and participants were focused on her every
Midnight Runners, the one-hit-wonder band. This is about breath and stride. The four of us ran with her for the last
what “triathlon” means to each of us and how this sport 200 yards. The determination on her face and the amount
touches and motivates us every day. of pain she was ﬁghting was clearly noticeable. The crowd
chanted “Come on Eileen, Come on Eileen!” The energy
It started off as a leisure trip to Ironman Canada
was incredibly intense and the noise from the crowd was
for the Hemenways and Orrs. We were there to cheer on
booming loud. Eileen did not make the cutoff coming in at
our fellow Tri Fusion members, check out the event and sign
17:01:57, but the crowd and announcer welcomed her in as if
up Ed and T for next year’s race.
eri
she had made it...”Eileen, you are an IRONMAN!”
If you were there in Canada, did you wonder what
This is why we love this sport. Eileen achieved a
or who the red signs posted throughout the Ironman course
goal she set for herself long ago. We were so impacted by
saying, “Come on, Eileen” were? You know the ones that
her courageous ﬁnish that we all cried big tears of joy as she
looked just like our famous Tri Fusion signs from behind.
crossed the ﬁnish line. Only minutes later, we witnessed the
After an early morning start and a very long day of spectacular ﬁreworks display signifying a close to this
cheering and spectating, and midnight was starting to amazing event that we will all put in our memory banks. It
become reality, we had had enough as spectators for the was a magical experience that caused us to more fully
day. We were exhausted and all of the athletes we came to understand the giant undertaking that just completing
watch were long since done. As we made our way to the car Ironman truly is.
to head back to the campground, we noticed a woman in the
distance on the run course making her way slowly toward FEATURES:
the ﬁnish line. We took a look at our watches and knew it * Race Review: I’m Going to Disneyland .... page 2
was going to be close for her. This last athlete had two
• Breakfast Recipe Idea..............................page 2
miles to run with eighteen minutes until the cutoff.
* 7 Studies for Endurance Athletes... pages 3 & 4
Immediately, Ed and Dave took off running toward her in
* Race Review: Ironman France.. ................page 5
the dark. How can this woman do it alone?
* Race Review: Ironman Canada..........pages 6 & 7
The Ironman crew allowed the three of them to
* Member Info, Calendar, Sponsors.......... page 8
make the journey as T and Katie watched from a distance.
eri
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2.
ELEVENTH EDITION SEPTEMBER 2007
Race Review: Disneyland Half Marathon
Within the ﬁrst four miles, runners wind their way
by Tim Swanson through the two theme parks, and yes, even at six in the
morning there are Disney characters out on the course!
Many athletes run with cameras and stop often to get their
At six a.m. Monday,
pictures taken with their favorites. Then it’s out onto the
September 3rd, ten thou-
streets of Anaheim, which aren’t terribly picturesque, but
sand or more runners
there are tons of groups out cheering, from high school
and walkers began the sec-
bands and cheerleaders to mariachi bands and the most cub
ond annual race billed as
scouts I have ever seen in one place. At ten miles, athletes
“the happi- est race on
enter Angels Stadium and run a lap around the ﬁeld, where
earth.” This is a desti-
you get to see yourself on the jumbo-tron screen and hear
nation race to be sure and a
your name announced over the loudspeaker...pretty cool!
ton of fun! The highlight of
The ﬁnishing stretch takes runners through the downtown
this race is the course,
Disney shopping area to the ﬁnish line at the Disneyland
which gives athletes a
Hotel.
unique op- portunity to run
through both Disneyland
Overall, I would highly recommend this race to all
and Disney’s California Adven-
athletes, regardless of how fast you run. Race organizers
ture theme parks (with even some secret “backstage” sec-
cater to the slower crowd by keeping the course open at
tions), as well as taking a lap on the ﬁeld through the Ana-
least three and a half hours and by having awesome support
heim Angels baseball stadium. This isn’t the most competi-
on the course well into the late morning. For faster runners,
tive race out there; while the course is relatively ﬂat (the
it’s a great opportunity to secure a high overall and age
biggest hill is the overpass for I-5), it’s not the fastest
group placing. At the end of the day, even if you don’t have
course either. This is due to lots of tight twists and turns in
the best race time ever, it’s okay because hey, you get to go
the three parks. But really, the point of this race is to have
to Disneyland!
fun.
Walnut & Blueberry Bran Pancakes
submitted by Natalie Gallagher
What you will need:
1.5 cups whole milk 3/4 C blueberries 2 T honey
1 C instant oats 1/2 C chopped walnuts 1 t salt
3/4 C sifted blend of white & whole wheat ﬂours 1/4 C oat bran 2 eggs. beaten
1/2 C sugar 1 T baking powder
Directions:
Pour milk over oats and sift together ﬂour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Lightly stir eggs into oats mixture. Add dry
ingredients and honey, stirring until combined. When the batter is thoroughly mixed, stir in the blueberries and walnuts. Ladle
batches of the batter onto a preheated greased or nonstick griddle or frying pan and cook until tops are bubbly and edges
look golden. Turn over and ﬁnish cooking the other side. Makes about 10 pancakes.
T with non-fat yogurt, and/or fresh blueberries and a dash of powdered sugar!
op
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3.
ELEVENTH EDITION SEPTEMBER 2007
Seven Ground-breaking Studies for Endurance Athletes
by Ben Greenfield
As a coach and advisor to scores of endurance athletes, I constantly pour through the latest research to ﬁnd key stud-
ies that provide valuable training and lifestyle information for performance success. Here are seven of the latest research
studies that could directly affect your training and performance.
1) The Effect of Creatine Loading on Weight and T emperature Regulation
Creatine has long been recognized as an effective ergogenic aid for both endurance athletes and power athletes and
this study indicated how creatine loading affects “thermoregulation”. It has been suggested that the water gain associated
with creatine actually enhances the body’s ability to cool, since the body relies on adequate hydration as a cooling mechanism.
Conversely, dehydration is associated with greater heat storage and reduced ability to tolerate heat strain. In this study, cre-
atine loading consisted of twenty grams/day for six days. Subjects gained an average of 2.86 pounds of intramuscular water
weight when supplementing with creatine. but while sprint performance improved, there was no effect on the body’s cooling
mechanism. Is the potential decrease in power:weight ratio caused by the increase in water weight worth the improved per-
formance for endurance athletes? In a lean athlete who seriously needs to enhance power and force production, I would argue
that creatine supplementation can be effective. Additionally, certain types of creatine cause less water weight gain with equal
improvements in performance. Look for lipophillic creatine. I use Kreacepts from Millennium Sports.
2) The Effect of Protease Supplementation on Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
Delayed onset muscle soreness is the dull pain that you feel typically 24-48 hours after a training session. It is typically
caused by muscle ﬁber micro-tearing, swelling and disruption of muscle ﬁber “tubes,” inﬂammation and damage to other intra
and extra cellular components of the muscle. Oral enzymes might reduce inﬂammation by improving return of blood ﬂow from
the muscle, thus reducing swelling and decreasing production of pain molecules called prostaglandin and elcoasnoids that oc-
cur after muscle injury. Protease is one of these enzymes that has been suggested for muscle soreness control. In this study,
protease aided in the recovery of strength, but did not decrease perception of pain or blood markers of muscle damage.
Therefore, in an athlete who needs to return to activity immediately after a difﬁcult training session, protease may assist with
force production by the sore muscles.
3) Carbohydrate-Protein Gel vs. Carbohydrate Gel
It has been proven that consumption of a beverage that contains some amount of protein
mixed with carbohydrate can provide better recovery and enhanced performance for endur-
ance athletes, when compared with a beverage that contains carbohydrate only. This study
examined a similar scenario using gels and endurance cyclists. The carbohydrate-protein ratio
was 5:1 in the gel, so if a gel had 100 calories of carbohydrate, it would contain 20 calories of
protein. Creatine kinase, a marker of muscle damage, was signiﬁcantly higher in the
carbohydrate-only gel group. In addition, subjects were able to ride 13% longer when training
at 75% of maximum (the ride was about two hours long). There is no denying the ergonic bene-
ﬁts of protein supplementation “during” a training session. I use a protein-carbohydrate bev-
erage supplement called Perpetuem (made by Hammer Nutrition) during my long rides, and will
be keeping my eyes open for new protein-carbohydrate gels on the market after the emer-
gence of this study.
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4.
ELEVENTH EDITION SEPTEMBER 2007
Seven Ground-breaking... (cont’d)
4) Static Stretching and Hamstring Force Production
Previous studies have found that static stretching, which is traditional stretching in which a muscle is held in the
stretched position, actually decreases force production of a muscle. This makes sense because a band with greater elasticity,
while less prone to tearing, will produce less force. These studies primarily investigated stretching sessions that last 120 sec-
onds to one hour. This particular study; however, investigated a stretching session of 30-60 seconds and actually found no
negative effect on muscle force production (in the hamstring). I’d be interested to see the application of such a study in run-
ning speed for a 5K or 10K, or cycling for a 40K, rather than a simple seated hamstring contraction. I personally perform static
stretching every day (incorporating primarily yoga exercises), but prior to any race I do not stretch. Instead, I perform dy-
namic movements like arm swings, leg swings and kicks, squats and push-ups. These are far more effective at preparing a mus-
cle for the rigors of competition when compared to static stretching.
5) Foot Strike Patterns of Elite Runners
As most endurance athletes are aware, the trend in running is toward a mid to front foot strike and a forward lean while
running - as opposed to a heel strike pattern, which actually applies a braking effect to the body. But no studies (up to this
point) have investigated runners’ foot strike mechanics during an actual event. In this study, the foot strike mechanics of 415
runners, most of them elite international competitors, were ﬁlmed during a half-marathon. As you may suspect, the runners
who displayed a heel strike had increased ground contact time and slower speeds. The more a runner’s foot strike advanced
toward the front of the foot, the less the ground contact time and the faster the run. Interestingly, the fastest runners were
also observed to have inverted (toe in) feet at foot strike. It is not clear whether this inversion is a biomechanical gait adapta-
tion, or simply the way that faster runners are genetically built. Regardless, it would be highly beneﬁcial to engage in running
drills or hire a running coach to teach you how to run with a forward center of gravity and a foot strike closer to the front of
the shoe.
6) T raining Intensity and Endurance Athlete Performance
The purpose of this study was to compare two different training programs for endurance athletes. The ﬁrst training
program employed 80% of training as low intensity aerobic training that did not exceed the athlete’s anaerobic or lactate
threshold. An additional 12% of the training included intensity at heart rate values close to threshold. In the second training
program, only 65% of the training was at low intensities, with 27% at close to maximum heart rate. After ﬁve months, the group
that spent more time in the low intensity training improved their 10K running performance by 36 seconds more than the higher
intensity training group! This study magniﬁes the importance of an endurance athlete limiting long periods of time spent above
threshold intensity and instead focusing on a larger amount of aerobic training. This is because the high intensity training re-
duces the body’s sensitivity to catecholamines and sympathetic nervous system response and also increases risk for chronic
over-stimulation and exhaustive stress. I personally spend very little time training at high intensities, but instead stay below
threshold for the majority of my training and save the high intensity efforts for the race. If you do not know your lactate or
anaerobic threshold, it is one of the most important measurements to ascertain!
7) Hot-Cold Treatments for Muscle Soreness
Contrast water therapy has been suggested as a means of controlling the muscle soreness and stiffness, swelling, ten-
derness and aching associated with strenuous exercise. In this therapy, an athlete periodically alternates between cold and
hot water immersion directly after the exercise bout. This is supposed to cause a “pumping action” as the blood vessels dilate
and constrict in response to the temperature alterations. This particular study used 60 seconds of cold water immersion fol-
lowed by 120 seconds of hot water immersion, alternating between these two treatments for 15 minutes. The contrast water
therapy was proven to restore strength and power and improve the recovery of functional deﬁciencies associated with training.
Is 15 minutes of hot and cold water immersion truly practical for the endurance athlete? Probably not in most cases. I person-
ally stand in the shower for 3-5 minutes after an exercise session and alternate between cold and hot water in 15-30 second
increments. The cold water can be a shocker, but this is effective! Until next time, train smart.
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5.
ELEVENTH EDITION SEPTEMBER 2007
Race Review: Ironman France
A Day at the Back of the Pack
by Keats McGonigal
Heart rates ran high as the gun the sweep crew came he offered his
sounded and athletes plunged into rear wheel. This resulted in an ex- The lessons of this race
the turquoise waters of the Mediter- tended radio conversation about my have reshaped my perspective. I now
ranean Sea initiating Ironman France eligibility to continue while taking know what it is to truly fear cutoff
2007. After the immediate mayhem “outside assistance.” Eventually they times. I now know the feeling of desir-
of thrashing bodies the rhythm of the concluded that I was so far behind, it ing to cross the ﬁnish line, regardless
rotational swim stroke cleared my would not matter. of time. I experienced the community
mind. Sighting off one solitary buoy assisting athletes in reaching their
straight out to sea made for naviga- Being the very last person in an goals. This new perspective in the
tional miscalculations, but thus is Ironman race means you get a motor- race showed me a different side of
swimming in open water off the coast cycle escort. When the driver realized the sport and led me to respect all
of Nice. Feelings of joy made me rec- my pace, he went in front and led me athletes pushing themselves to their
ognize my heart rate as I looked at my through every intersection pulling limits without thought to overall plac-
watch exiting the swim in a PR! This ahead to stop trafﬁc. I pictured my- ing. Racing at the back of the pack
excitement led me out onto the bike self leading the race, even though I makes me appreciate all that triath-
course with anticipation and high was dead last. lons have to offer, but mostly the
hopes. How quickly expectations community of resilient athletes push-
change. ing themselves to the limits emotion-
Once riding again, some
challenges lay ahead of me. The ally as well as physically.
T miles into the bike, I veered to
wo bike course contained mountain
my left to avoid a swerving cyclist and passes which make Mt. Spokane
“thud” went my back wheel as I hit a look like a speed bump and the
pothole, like we all do from time to bike cutoff was looming. Never in
time. Simultaneously I heard and felt my worst nightmares did the
the “whoomp, whoomp, whoomp” of thought of facing bike cutoff
my rear wheel. Stopping to diagnose times occur. I rode hard and
the issue, I realized that I had a bro- scared. Coming back into transi-
ken spoke. My initial thought was, “I tion at about the time I had
need a wrench to straighten this and hoped to ﬁnish the race, I cleared
get going.” So I ﬂagged down a mo- the cutoff by a mere ten minutes.
torcycle to get assistance. I was told
someone was coming and to wait
The four loop out and back
where I was. I waited as no one, an-
marathon run seemed to take
other motorcycle, still no one, a third
forever as I witnessed masses of
and fourth motorcycle, and still no
participants crossing the ﬁnish
help. My emotions ran high and low
line. This race had changed in a
as I waited. Finally, the race organiz-
moment with my expectations
ers sent the sweep crew to gather
shattered and a new one cre-
athletes dropping out. They wanted
ated. Now I sought the ﬁnish line,
to know if I was quitting the race. “I
which hours earlier I though I
didn’t come all this way to France to
might not reach today. I am more
quit the race” I responded. A specta-
proud of my 13:24 than any other
tor standing nearby watched my
Ironman because this one I
mood changed over time and when
fought for the right to FINISH.
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6.
ELEVENTH EDITION SEPTEMBER 2007
there, I saw Sam Piccicci just a couple should be. After the 11K rolling climb
“The Race...Well, of people over from me, making it a up Richter Pass, I started to notice my
Part of It” nice beginning to see a familiar face in stomach was cramping, again. I
by Roger Thompson such a huge race, especially since this hoped that during the long descent
was going to be the largest mass swim down the other side of Richter I could
start in Ironman history at about ease up and soft pedal to get some
Our trip to Ironman Canada 2800 people. Once the cannon went relief. Nope, wasn’t able to do that
began on Tuesday, arriving in the off I took off fast and eventually since there were some severe
evening in Penticton to stay until the settled in to focus on my form and headwinds, so I stayed focused and
following Monday morning. After made it in from the swim in good time continued on.
almost two days of relaxation, taper at 56:17. I think I ﬁnished the swim in
After I got to about the 60
training and vacation, I woke up 44th overall place including pros, so I
miles mark, things went from
Thursday morning with a bad stomach was anxious to see where I was as an
uncomfortable to bad. I started
ache. It felt similar to when you spend age grouper.
taking in gels and then immediately
a little too long at the bars the night
After T1, I took off on my throwing them back up. I knew at this
before, where I couldn’t really stand
bike and was happy to be on it. I point that I was in a bit of trouble.
up straight.
noticed my heart rate (HR) was a bit Low on energy, no fuel, cramping
As I got closer to race day, high and it normally is after coming stomach, about 50 miles to go with a
my stomach cramps lessened, but the out of the water. But I kept a wattage relentless headwind. Not good!
distress to my digestive system was that was well below my lactate About now I did see Jessi, Emma,
still lingering by Saturday evening. I threshold. So even though my heart Kathi, Kevin, Natalie, Greg and
was still cramping and quite gassy and rate was high, I was maintaining a Jennifer which was nice to see.
I began to worry less about the actual wattage that was well below my LT
At the aid stations, nothing
stomach pain and more about and therefore I should see a drop in
sounded even remotely good, so I
nutrition absorption. my HR in a short bit. However, as
went with the old standby, bananas. I
time clicked by, my HR was not
Race morning came at 4:30. was able to keep the bananas in and
dropping. I decided to trust the watts
After Scott and I got ready, I went muster my way up Yellow Lake
instead of the HR, which is a pretty
down to the race and stood in line to (another major climb) and then
aggressive decision, but it seemed like
get my body marked which took way started the descent into Penticton.
a good one.
too long. Next, I went to my bike and Normally this downhill is a nice, high
made some necessary changes to my
I was ﬂying by people, speed descent for about 15K and
fueling and added a couple of things catching all but one or two female serves as a good rest before
to my transition bags. Other than pros before I arrived on Richter Pass, beginning the marathon run. As luck
that, I was ready to go. After putting but I wasn’t sure if this was a good would have it this year, it was once
on my wetsuit, my stomach started sign or not considering they had more a headwind all the way down.
cramping so I made one last stop to started 15 minutes before us age Even with my 808 wheels, I was feeling
the bathroom. When I was ﬁnished I groupers. I was maintaining the same quite a bit of turbulence, but I
walked down to a spot that I thought wattage on the climb, staying on top managed to enter the T2 tent in 31st
would be an ideal place in the front to of my nutrition, but my HR was still place including all pros.
start the swim. As I was standing not stabilizing where I thought it
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7.
ELEVENTH EDITION SEPTEMBER 2007
Ironman Canada (cont’d) one ever), but even harder to think
Throughout the remainder
that it might have disappointed her of the day, we were able to watch our
Not too bad really, but when I got off
day as well. fellow Tri Fusion friends and
my bike I could hardly stand up. My
teammates ﬁnish the race, had a
stomach was so cramped that I
I eventually had to do the
relaxing dinner out, fellowship with
walked hunched over to my T2 bag “walk of shame” out of the transition
friends and family, and the chance to
and sat in the tent. It was at that area and out of the race. It’s pretty
reﬂect on all I’d been through and
point that I needed to evaluate what hard to get outside of the “arena” of
learned today. The beneﬁt from
was going on with me. As I was being the race, because once you are in it
racing is that you always glean
aided by a volunteer, while he you pretty much have to come across
something from it. No matter what
dumped out all my gear and began the ﬁnish line. So, I went to Mike
happens, you walk away with a new
organizing it for me, I told him that I Reilly (the voice of Ironman) and he
knowledge about yourself. Some
thought I was probably done. I asked opened the gate to let me out. I’m
good, some bad. It’s what you decide
him if he would get my dry clothes bag was just glad he didn’t say, “Roger
to do with that knowledge that
and amongst waiting, I was able to see Thompson, you are NOT an
advances you forward, or potentially
Scott Ward and Martin Scates in Ironman!”
keeps you from reaching your goals.
transition, but that was it. I was
Shortly later, I was able to
hoping they would all have great
So, although this race was
hook up with the cheer crew so I
races (Scott, Martin, Sam, Vicki, not necessarily a success, I learned
could go out on the course and cheer
Keats, Dori and Mark), but I knew my far more than if I would have PR’d it.
on everyone that were still out there
race was at its end. A lot about me and those around me.
racing. As we stood at the 22 miles
It’s the mental aspect of all this that is
After I got my dry clothes mark of the marathon, I found it
tough to train. And that is what was
bag I was able to call Jessi. The crew difﬁcult to watch those people who
tested for me on that particular
was stuck in trafﬁc but were on their were ﬁnishing in the tops of their age
Sunday.
way back to town from the bike groups come by... the same folks that
course. While I was in transit, Emma I was substantially ahead of going I hope you always come
called and left a message for me on into T2. away from each race you do with
my phone that basically said that she something new learned about
hoped I was okay and that my tummy yourself beyond what place or time
was getting better and that you earned. Sometimes you have
they were on their way. It to reach deep and other times it is
made me cry to think that I right there in front of you. And
would not have the chance often it is the people right there in
to carry her across the front of you that you learn the
ﬁnish line this year. I really most about, like my support crew,
did not know how to especially my wife Jessi who
explain this to her and if I encouraged me to make the right
could ﬁgure that out, decision for my physical self that
would she understand? It day.
was hard enough for me to
drop out of a race (ﬁrst
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